Super-agent Scott Boras says Astros are trying to finish in last place

Scott Boras picked up where Peter Gammons and other national baseball writers left off.

The super-agent for MLB stars such as Prince Fielder, Robinson Cano and Michael Bourn told USA Today the Astros are intentionally trying to lose in an effort to draft as high as possible and have the largest available financial pool.

In an article about in-limbo free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse, Boras linked the rebuilding Astros — whose payroll could be below $25 million on opening day — with the stripped-down Miami Marlins.

“The integrity of the game has been compromised,” Boras said. “What baseball has done, it has created a dynamic where draft dollars are affecting the major leaguers. Teams are constructing clubs to be non-competitive, like Houston and Miami, so they can position themselves where they can get more draft dollars. Clubs are trying to finish last to create more draft dollars. And this dramatically affects the wild-card and major-league standings.”

He added: “The integrity of the game is very damaged by this system. Draft dollars is the latest currency for GMs. And the best way to earn draft dollars is to sabotage your major-league team and finish last.”

The Astros lost 213 combined games the last two years. The club had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft and will again select first this season.